Life with triplets can get overwhelming, but it certainly doesn’t slow down. You may find that accomplishing your daily tasks has become much more complicated than before, but with some simple adjustment you’ll find that you can manage this wonderfully chaotic life.
Preparing Meals
The nutrition of you and your children should always be a main priority, and it doesn’t always need to be a struggle. The trick to making nutritious meals for the family is preparation, and large portions.
When it comes to making food for your triplets, start small. In the beginning of their lives you can create simple, yet nutritious, meals. Keeping things simple will make this part of the week much easier.
It’s easy to forget about yourself in those early days of parenting, but take an extra moment to set aside some food for yourself while making the meals for your children.
There are a few steps you can take to make meal prep truly efficient.
Make Extra
You can never have too much food when your cooking for the family, especially with triplets.
The babies’ food should always be made in batches to save time and energy when mealtime rolls around.
Keep things simple
No one will hold it against you if you decide to set your chef hat down for a while.
It’s likely you won’t have time to make gourmet meals, but simple doesn’t mean boring. There are plenty of simple, delicious, and easy meals perfect for the entire family.
Freezer-friendly
Make meals that can be easily stored in the freezer for later in the week.
Finding the time to cook, especially with three babies in the home, can be tricky. Have your partner watch the little ones while you do so, or ask a friend for a little help.
Shopping
You’re probably dreading the thought of shopping with three babies, but it can be done. It’s also a simple way to get the family out of the house after bringing the little ones home.
You will want to take advantage of baby carriers or a stroller if you plan on having a shopping trip with the babies. Your partner can push the cart while you tend to the little ones. It won’t be as scary as you’ve imagined! Allow at least one extra hour to accommodate the constant stops for admiration of your babies!
There’s no need to feel guilty if you’re looking forward to your first shopping trip… alone. We get it! Shopping is a good way to give you a small break from the chaos of parenting. Have your partner, friend, or family member watch the kiddos while you shop.
However, if you can’t seem to pull yourself away from those lovable babies, that’s okay too. Designate shopping to a family member or close friend. This is a great way to let them help when they may not be able to do much else.
If there’s simply no time for shopping you can always use an online delivery service. There are several businesses that will deliver groceries, and much more, right to your door. Amazon Fresh might become your new best friend.
Cleaning and Washing
The days of a spotless, dust-free home are long gone; at least for the time being. Your priorities will shift with parenting, but a clean home is possible. Your cleaning may not be up to your typical standards, but don’t let yourself feel too bad about it.
There are a few things you can do to make cleaning less of a hassle:
Embrace Lists
If you weren’t a list type of person before, you’ll likely be one now.
Create a list of cleaning duties based on priority. Some tasks may become non-essential. These tasks can be done once a week to limit the stress of cleaning.
Take a moment to download this awesome worksheet to help you find balance between housework and parenting.
Take Shortcuts
Take advantage of the things that are going to make cleaning simple and quick.
- Dishwashers – If your finances allow, why not let something else worry about dish duty?
- Electric washer and dryer – Hand washing takes up far too much time.
- Soak dishes prior to washing to save time – Soaking dishes will make them much easier to wash, when you finally find the time.
- Ironing – Ironing can be allocated to helpers or disregarded!
Storage Totes
Use storage totes to quickly put away your little ones’ toys, unironed clothes or laundry.
Keep One Room Baby Free
Your house will be covered in baby-related items, but keeping one room free of such clutter will help your stress levels when it comes to cleaning.
Designate the living room as “baby–free” so you have a place to entertain guests, or to give yourself a break. You will also eliminate the stress of trying to clean up before guests arrive if you do this.
Washing
Washing can be a daily task, depending on your choice of nappies, the amount of clothing and linen you have available and your laundry facilities.
You can buy a large or several buckets (for convenient locations) for soaking soiled nappies. You can fill the washing machine with water and dropping in nappies and linen as used until a load is reached, then spinning off the water, and adding detergent before setting the wash cycle.
Most modern cloth nappy manufacturers recommend dry pailing, which involves rolling the contents of soiled nappy into the toilets and then storing the nappies in a sealed plastic bin until wash time.
Flushable liners make it easier to deal with soiled nappies. It may be worthwile investing in a sprayer, which is a high-pressure hose that attches to the toilet’s water system and can rinse anything off straight into the toilet.
When it comes to doing laundry, many moms like to start loads before heading to bed. This makes it easier to hang, or load them into the dyer, first thing in the morning.
Also see: The Easiest Cloth Diaper System – Diaper Brands Guide
Ironing
Ironing can be allocated to helpers or disregarded! You could ask your partner to take over iroing his/her own business shrits/clothes. The task might take about one hour a week on a Sunday night while you feed the babies or sort and fold the washing and both watch TV or chat.
Track suits are easy to wash, required no ironing, look tidy, everyone including children could dress quickly, and always felt presentable if someone called unexpectedly.
Use clothes, business shirts and outfits which can be tumbled in the dryer, taken out and hung up as soon as the cycle is completed, so they require minimal if any ironing.
Most of us can survive in clean, unironed clothes, and children will probably not bother about whether their clothes are ironed or not, especially if they are busy playing.
Accept Help
There’s no shame in accepting help. Many people love offering to help clean after babies are born, and you’re going to want that extra hand!
Your plans to clean will often be disrupted; so don’t be frustrated or ashamed if your home isn’t the model of Good Housekeeping. If you receive any unwarranted comments on the status of your home, don’t hesitate to let others know that your priorities have been elsewhere.
Off to the Doctor
Doctor visits will become an important part of parenting from the moment your little ones are born. It can be tedious loading up everything and getting to the doctor on time, but it will soon become a regular part of your routine.
If you are planning on having in-office visits, try packing the car up the night before, so the babies are your only concern when morning comes along.
If offered, don’t hesitate to take advantage of in-home visits. Many mothers of multiples find this more suitable for their busy lifestyle. However, like shopping, doctor visits are another excuse to have a family outing.
If you still need a bit of inspiration on managing housework and caring for your little ones, take a look at these suggestions.
Your life will need a new “groove” once you become a mother to triplets, but you’ll find it soon enough. In comparison to raising triplets, daily tasks and errands will seem like a breeze. With a little time and dedication, you’ll conquer both challenges.
